After provoking a national backlash with her comments about black lesbians, Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll has refused to apologize. Her silence has prompted a national petition drive launched today to keep the pressure on.

The controversy erupted when a former staffer claimed she was fired after walking in on the Lt. Governor in a sexually “compromising position” with a female aide. In responding to the allegations, Carroll told reporters earlier this month, "Black women who look like me don't engage in relationships like that."

I launched this petition to let the Lt. Governor know that her statement caused real harm.

As a black lesbian from Florida, I personally felt the sting of Florida Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll's words. Instead of simply denying the claims, she stereotyped black lesbians in order to deflect her own charges. With that one quick statement, Lt. Governor Carroll appealed to racial and homophobic stereotypes that do real harm.

Despite the Lt. Governor's attempt to portray lesbians like me as so very different from her, we actually have a great deal in common. I too am married and a mother. The difference is my marriage is not legally recognized and I've had to fight for the legal right to be a parent to my son.

The Lt. Governor is the highest-ranking black women ever to serve in Florida government.